It would be hard for anybody in the country who lost seven players. You never know how guys are going to respond, but our guys have responded pretty well. Now, we have an opportunity, and we have to capture that opportunity. |
It's not like they've been losing a lot, and we got after them. I love that. I was looking to see if we were going to be tentative or aggressive, and I was happy to see us being aggressive. I hope we see the same thing (today). |
Johnny had a sensational game. It just didn't click for us offensively until Johnny took over. |
Last Saturday morning, the day of the game (the Big West tournament final against Long Beach State, a 78-70 victory), I get a call from my dad. My son's wife just had our first granddaughter back north (in Walnut Creek), so as soon as the game ended, I had some pizza with the players and went to bed, and the next morning at 5:30, I drove back up to see them, had to go 101 because the Grapevine was closed, and then drove to Stockton for the selection show. I haven't had time to celebrate, but I'll be able to celebrate that every day. |
Last year we could handle bigger teams. This year that's definitely a concern of mine. We had a team that could match up with anyone last year. We don't have a team like that this year. |
Mike is bringing consistency to his position. He's been a little more aggressive of late and, hopefully, it continues because it's been fun to watch. |
Our guys are hungry to prove people wrong. This team has taken a lot of flak. Everywhere you turn, people are questioning how well this team can come around. I just said, 'Give it time. Give it time.' Well, here we are, and whatever happens the rest of the year, I'm going to be proud of this team. |
Our guys played perfect basketball over the last three minutes. The first game of a tournament is a little tougher, but we handled it. We got through it, and now we know we need to play a great 40 minutes for a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament. |
Sanders didn't play the first nine games, but he's back and playing at a different level. |
Sometimes Christian's our scoring leader, but tonight he wasn't. Tomorrow, that will be your job, Christian. |
That's one of the best conferences in the (nation), and I'd like to play them just for a comparison. |
There are always good players out there. You just have to be in the right place at the right time. |
There haven't been a lot of easy games here over the years. They've always played well here. |
There were other things, too - things we didn't do as well as we would like - but that's the way it is. It was a tough call, but you've got to live with it and move on. |
They hit a lot of tough shots. You've got to give them credit for making the shots they had to. I don't know if I've ever coached a game where a team shot 70 percent in the second half and we still won. |